meinikheim



2 Sheets-Sheet 1. B. G. MEINIKHEIM.

. (No Model.

. SPRING SEAT SUPPORT, N0. 311,596.

Paten ted Feb. ,3, 1885.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

B. G. MEINIKHEIM.

SPRING SEAT SUPPORT. I No. 311,596. Patented Feb. 3, 1885.

Urvrrnn Starts PATENT @rrrcn.

BERNARD G. MEINIKHEIM, OF NEVVTOVJN, NEiV YORK.

SPRING SEAT=SUPPORT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 311,596, dated February 3, 1885.

Application filed September 5, 1884. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that ,I, BERNARD G. Martin;- HEIM, of Newtown, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Spring Seat-Supports, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is applicable to seat-supports for vehiclessuch, for example, as box-wagons or railway-cars; but it may be embodied in park or garden seats and other seats wherein a yielding or spring support is required.

The invention relates to seatsupports on which are supported the opposite ends of a seat, and which each comprise two springs.

The nature of my invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawings and following description; and the invention consists in novel combinations hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a seat'support and seat, portions of the latter being broken away to reduce the size of the drawings, and also including portions of the sides of a wagon-box on which the yielding support of the seat is sustained. Fig. 2 is a plan of the support at one end of the seat. Fig. 3 is a side view of the seat-support; and Figs. 4 and 5 are views illustrating a modification of my invention, and hereinafter described.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A A designate two rigid supports, which may, for example, constitute the twosides of a wagon-box.

l3 designates the seat, which is supported at each end by a spring or yielding support which rests upon the parts A A. Each support comprises a base piece or portion which rests upon and is secured to the parts A A.

As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. such base-piece is composed of two'saddlelilae port-ions or clips, 0, which have flanges a and are connected by a rod or bar, 4). These clips or saddle portions 0 may be made of malleable cast-iron or composition, and be secured to and connected with the rod G by riveting the rod to them at b, and by providing thcm'with lips or a divided eye, 0, which may be closed tightly on the rod.

The construction of the base-picce may be greatly varied, and in Fi s. at and 5 I have shown in side view and transverse section a base-piece, 0*, composed entirely of malleable or cast metal and made in a single piece,with flanges c on opposite sides.

The base-piece may be made of any form to suitably fit the article to which it may be applied.

If the invention is to be embodied in a carseat, the base-piece will be supported on lagframes fixed to the iloor of the car, and will be suitably constructed for attachment thereto.

\Vhen the invention is to be embodied in a seat-support for a box-wagon, as here shown, the flanges a on the base-piece embrace the sides of the box A A, and the base-piece may be secured by screws inserted through holes (Z in the bascpiece, (shown in Fig. 2,) or by bolts 6 passed through perforated lugs or cars a on the flanges a. When secured in thelatter way, by removing one bolt, 0,. provision is aii'orded for raising the seat and its supports on the other bolt as on a hinge.

As most clearly shown in Fig. 1, the base pieces 0 of the two supports are separately supported on the two sides A A of the wagon box, and unobstructed space is afforded from the bottom of the wagon-box up to the seat B.

I) 'D ('lesignate'two coiled springs or spring coils, which are similar to each other-but are here shown as reversed in position, that is, having their upper and lower arms, D D extending inreverse directions, as shown in Fig. 3. The lower arms, D, of the two springs which are comprised in the support at each end of theseat B, are pivotally connected with the base-piece in any suitable manner. As here shown, the saddle-like portions G of the base-piece are provided with transverse lugs or earsf, and the end portion of each arm 1) is bent at right angles and titted in a lug or ear, f, as best shown in Fig. 2, the end of the pivot-like portion f of the arm being riveted or upset to prevent its withdrawal from the bearingin thclug or car. The basepiece 0* (shown in Figs. 4 and 5) is also provided with similar lugs or cars, f, and in both cases thelugs or cars are represented as divided or as not extending continuously across the base-piece, to lessen the drilling necessary to form the pivot-bean ings and to save metal. As here shown, the upper arms, 1), of the springs of each pair IOC are connected by a plate, bearer, or cross- I piece, E, which is shown in Fig. 2 as curved laterally to enable it to clear the coils of the -tically with the "inent of the springs also allows the coils to springs D in yielding downward. The seat B may be secured on the cross-pieces or bearers Eby rivets, bolts, or screws 9, inserted through holes therein.

At each end of the seat B there may be a fender, F, which may be curvedin any graceful form desired, as is shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3. The fenderFis removed or broken away in Fig. 2 to show the springs beneath it, and I have here shown the ends of the fender, the ends of the cross-piece or bearer E, and the arms D of the springs D, all connected by single bolts or rivets h, as best shown in Fig. 3.

If an ordinary business or express wagon seat is to be used in place of the seat here shown, the fenders F may not be necessary, as the usual back and tenders of the seat proper will suffice, and if the seat itself be sufficiently strong and free from danger of splitting, the cross-pieces or bearers E may be dispensed with, and the arms D of the springs secured directly to the seat.

' he supports may be arranged with their coils D on the outside, as shown in Fig. 1; or, if the wagon be provided with curtains, or from any other reason it be undesirable to have the coils on the outside, they may be arranged on the inside by simply reversing the supports.

It is very advantageous to have the basepiece of the support arranged out of line vertically with the coils of the springs. When thus arranged, the spring-coils may descend at the side of the base-piece as they are compressed, and the seat B can therefore be allowed a wider range of vertical movement, and still be placed lower down than could be done if the springs were directly in line verbase-piece. This arrangedescend on the outside of the boX when ar ranged outside, and hence they will not strike upon any of the contents of the wagon.

It is advantageous to have the lower arms, D, of both springs of a support connected with a single base-piece, as they will then be held in proper relative position and prevented from spreading. I

WVhen weight is placed on the seat the coiled springs D move downward. the pivoted ends of the lower arms, D, turning freely in their bearings fto admit of such movement, and the springs are put under tension by the bringing of their upper arms, D nearer their lower ones, the coilsdescending at the side of the base-piece to admit of this.

. If desirable, I may employ two pairs of springs for each support, in which case the coils of the springs would descend on opposite sides of the base-piece, and lighter steel could be used for the springs, which would facilitate their manufacture.

The lugs or earsfmay be drilled for the I pivot portions f of the spring, or they may be made in the form of straight ears projecting from the base piece, and after the pivot portion f* is laid between them they may be closed down on the latter, in which case they I .would present the form shown in Fig. 4.

It is advantageous to make the cross-bars or bearers E curved or offset laterally between their ends, as when attached to the seat they form laterally-extending braces, which tend to maintain the seat squarely in position on and at right angles to the supports. The lateral curving or offsetting of said bars or bearers is also advantageous, because it enables the screws employed in attaching the seat to the supports to be readily inserted, which would be diflicult to do if the said bearers E were straight and directly above the springs. 7

An important advantage due to my invention is that each of the two seat-supports may be made and sold complete in itself, and all that is necessary to adapt them for use is to cut off a board to the desired length and attach the supports, one to each end.

WVhat I claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a seat, of springsupports therefor, each comprising a basepiece, and coiled springs having their upper and lower arms extending in reverse directions, the upper arms serving to support the seat and the lower arms being pivotally connected with the base-piece, and the base-piece being arranged out of line with the coils of the springs, whereby the base-piece holds the springs of a support in a proper relative position, and affords provision for the yielding of the coils downward at the side of the basepiece, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination, with a seat, of springsupports, each comprising a base-piece adapted to fit upon the upper edges of a wagon-box, and having downwardly-projecting flanges a to hold it in place laterally, and coiled springs D D, having upper arms, D-, which support the seat, and lower arms, D, which are pivotally connected with base-piece, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination, with a seat, of springsupports therefor, each comprising coiled springs D D, having upper arms, D", support ing the seat, and lower arms, D, a flanged base-piece with which the lower arms, D, are pivotally connected, and which is provided with cars a, and pivot-bolts 6, whereby the base-piece is pivoted to its support and provision is afforded for swinging the seat in a vertical plane upon said bolts 0 as centers, substantiall y as herein described.

4. The combination, with a seat, of springsupports, each comprising a base-piece provided with transverse lugs or cars f at the top, and coiled springs DD, having upper arms, D, which support the seat, and lower arms, D,

the ends of which are bent transversely to form pivots fitting the lugs or earsf, substantially as herein described.

5. The combination, in a spring seat-support, of springs D D, having upper arms, D and lower arms, D, a base-piece arranged at the side of the springs, and with which the lower arms, D, are pivotally connected and a bearer,

E, connecting the upper arms, D, of the springs, and oflset laterally out of line be- 10 yond the coils of the springs, substantially as herein described.

BERNARD G. MEINIKHEIM. WVitnesses:

O. HALL, FREDK. HAYNES. 

